


you're not human anymore

by lynn_jpg



Series: soudam week 2020 [6]
Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Super Dangan Ronpa 2
Genre: Canonical Character Death, Despair, Despair Era (Dangan Ronpa), Established Relationship, M/M, Minor Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-06
Updated: 2020-06-06
Packaged: 2021-03-03 22:53:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,724
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24573361
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lynn_jpg/pseuds/lynn_jpg
Summary: the five times gundham sees him
Relationships: Soda Kazuichi/Tanaka Gundham
Series: soudam week 2020 [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1769203
Comments: 2
Kudos: 79





	you're not human anymore

**Author's Note:**

> title comes from 'not human' but the elegant slims
> 
> I definitely took some liberty with this one as to what it was like during the despair era. hopefully, you enjoy it!

**YOU'RE NOT HUMAN ANYMORE**

**[ despair ]**

The first time Gundham had seen him, his face lit up. 

It was right after Junko had so lovingly shown them what despair felt like. She had taken them by the hands and led them into the heavenly light that was the euphoric feeling of despair. They were thankful for her teachings, and they wanted nothing more than to show their gratitude. Junko gave them instructions. 

The 77th Class of Hope's Peak Academy had obeyed. 

Gundham glanced over at Kazuichi. The mechanic had a blissful smile on his face, and his eyes fell shut so he could favor the moment. Gundham gave their intertwined hands a squeeze. Kazuichi cracked an eye open and smiled. 

"Isn't this great?" Kazuichi hummed, leaning over to rest his head on Gundham's shoulder. "You and me against the world, just like how we were meant to, huh?"

They would rebuild the world in Junko's glory. They'd show everyone the wonders of despair. They'd lead them straight into that heavenly light and bask in its essence. 

Wordlessly, Gundham raised Kazuichi's hand to his face, giving his bloodied knuckles a gentle kiss. He gave a soft smile, slowly dropping their hands and letting their pinkies intertwine in a promise. 

"Yeah," Kazuichi sighed happily, "you and me against the world."

"Always." 

* * *

The second time Gundham had seen him, he had pulled him in for a hug. 

It had been only a few weeks (or maybe months? it was difficult to tell when your mind was clouded with despair) since they had last seen each other. They had all split up in order to build the new world. By now, Junko's rapture was well underway. They were starting to see the beginnings of a promising society. 

"I've missed you," Gundham mumbled in a bloodied hairline, running his hair through his partner's pink matter locks. "The heavens have grown tired of my cries for you."

Kazuichi chuckled, burying his face into Gundham's collarbone. "I miss ya too, ya big dork. Hope ya didn't have too much fun without me."

They intertwined their hands, walking through the rubble of a once thriving city. They recounted tales to each other of the despair they had inflicted upon the world. It was nice, they thought, to be together again. Despair seemed to be a fulltime job, and neither of them had been granted vacation. 

"I hear the Dark Princess has been causing quite the commotion in her home country," Gundham remarked, carefully guiding his partner through the rubble that was his territory. "She has been reclaiming that country for the sake of despair."

Kazuichi hummed. "Good for her. I might have to ship some bots to her, if she needs them. But Miss Sonia's plenty capable of taking care of herself."

The bots Kazuichi was referencing were none other than the very ones that roamed the city: Monokumas, he called them. Of course, they were a creation of Junko's design, but Kazuichi was more than happy to build them for her. They were practically his finest masterpiece yet. 

"Junko wants me to come work for her - fulltime, that is. She's got a couple of machines that need building. She was pretty sparse on the details, though, but she's definitely planning something." Kazuichi scratched his head in thought before beaming up at Gundham. "But can ya believe it! She needs me! She thinks I'm useful!"

"You  _ are  _ useful," Gundham corrected, ruffling Kazuichi's hair. 

The mechanic swatted his hand away. "Cut it out, dude!... It just… it means a lot coming from her, ya know? Like, she thinks I'm useful… I'm excited!"

Gundham gave a small smile. "You have every right to be proud, my paramour."

"I hope I make her happy."

"You make me happy."

"... It's just not the same."

* * *

The third time Gundham had saw him, he was concerned. 

They met a big after the announcement of Junko's big killing game. It was going to be her greatest accomplishment if she could pull it off. She had announced it to all the remnants one night when they were gathered together, but Kazuichi was nowhere to be seen. 

It had been weeks since anyone had heard from or seen the mechanic. He'd practically gone off the radar. Of course, Junko had assured them all that Kazuichi was simply busy working. The others had taken her word for it: there was always more despair to be spread. But Gundham still felt a bit uneasy about the whole thing. 

So he had tracked down the boy's location. It hadn't taken long, considering he had a horde of animals all over the city. It was time to pay the mechanic a visit. 

Gundham had found him in a warehouse. The place was huge, filled with various prototypes of Monokumas and other assorted wares. Gundham carefully entered, sidestepping the drill bits and other oddities littering the floor. As he turned the corner, he found the sleeping, slumped against some machine he was working on. 

Sighing, the Ultimate Breeder banged against a sheet of metal to awake him. Even before they were infected with despair, Kazuichi could often be seen having fallen asleep while he was working on something. 

The mechanic awoke with a jump, blearily rubbing his eye with one hand. His lips curled into a smile upon seeing Gundham. 

"Long time, no see," Kazuichi chuckled, getting to his feet to greet the breeder. 

Gundham's eyes widened, seeing the new appendage the male was sporting. Instead of his right arm being made of flesh and bone, a metal prosthetic replaced it. The dull lights of the warehouse reflected off its shiny surface. 

"Oh. Yeah." Kazuichi sheepishly dropped his gaze to his arm, flexing the fingers there. "Had an accident with one of the machines… wasn't just gonna give up on a arm, though…It's not…  _ bad _ , right? It looks okay?"

Smiling, Gundham grabbed his arm, examining it. "It looks wonderful, my paramour. No need to fret." His partner let out a sigh of relief. "Now explain to me what you have been doing all this time."

So he did. He'd been working on creating some executions for Junko's killing game. Of course, he had to go through the process of creating sixteen different ones for each student in case they decided to kill. It'd been grueling work - and dangerous too, as proven by his new prosthetic. 

Kazuichi's eyes had lit up on happiness as he explained what each one did. The despair of what would happen to the each of them had him rambling on and on. Gundham had found it endearing, in a way. 

But he still couldn't help but feel a twinge of concern for his partner. He'd already lost a limb. What if he had an worse accident?... The thought of how the despair would feel didn't sound so appealing. 

Gundham hummed, brushing a piece of Kazuichi's hair out of his face. "Just try to stay safe, my paramour, okay?"

"No promises!"

* * *

The fourth time Gundham had saw him, he felt sick. 

Junko's killing game was nearing the end. All of the remnants had gathered together to watch it. At first, it was exhilarating, the idea that all of the survivors would be sent off to their doom. It felt euphoric. 

Kazuichi had grabbed his hand and smiled, and Gundham had found himself smiling back. All of Junko's hard work was going to pay off. This would be her infamous act of despair. 

But then the game went south. 

The remaining students had gathered together to try and figure out who was the mastermind behind the games. They were doomed to fail from the start. They wouldn't figure it out - they  _ couldn't  _ figure it out. 

Yet they did. 

They did, and Junko revealed herself as the mastermind. She had lost the game.  _ She had lost the game.  _ It was time to play by her own rules. It was time to be executed. 

And it was like Chiaki all over again. Despair hit them like a fierce wave, crashing over them and knocking them to the ground. It was  _ sickening _ , it didn't feel  _ right,  _ the despair no longer sent this euphoric rush through their veins. It was hellfire, burning them up from the inside out. 

Gundham glanced over at his partner through his tears. Kazuichi's eyes were glossy and unfocused. What was his purpose now that Junko was gone? Who would he serve? He was just her  _ machine.  _

He wasn't human anymore. 

When Kazuichi spoke, his voice sounded hollow. It wasn't filled with despair. If was reminiscent of a child. It reminded Gundham of that scared boy who had lived before the era of despair. 

"I wanna go home."

Gundham blinked away his tears. "Me too."

* * *

The fifth and final time Gundham had saw him, he was scared. 

He'd been scared before. He'd gone up against great beasts and bent them to his will. But this… this monster was something that he could not contain. He'd have to give in. He could not slay the Future Foundation. 

It was Izuru Kamakura who had given the two orders. They didn't want to give him the time of day, but as soon as Junko's name left his mouth, they were hooked. They would carry out Junko's legacy. 

They'd have to give in to the Future Foundation. There was no other way of going about this. The fear was there. They were heading into the unknown, blindfold wrapped tightly around their eyes and only promises there to guide them. He was scared, but that was okay. 

"Are you ready?" Gundham quietly asked his partner, nervously glancing around the area. Many members of the Future Foundation were surrounding them, rifles aimed and at the ready. There was no turning back now. 

Kazuichi hummed sadly, staring up at the downcast sky. "Ready as I'll ever be."

On the count of three, both men raised their hands in surrender. They slowly got to their knees, closing their eyes once they were heard the sound of footsteps rapidly approaching them. 

"See you soon," Kazuichi whispered so quite that only Gundham could hear. And then the Future Foundation was on them, slamming their heads to the ground and forcibly restraining them. 

They'd carry out Junko's legacy. They were part of her machine, after all, and it seemed all the pieces were in order. 

**Author's Note:**

> 👏 give kazuichi a metal arm
> 
> in all seriousness, thank you for reading! final day is tomorrow, and I hope you enjoyed what I've written so far!


End file.
